More safeguards added for gun shows

Tuesday

Feb 19, 2013 at 9:11 PM

People who bring firearms to sell at future gun shows at two N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services facilities will have to park in designated areas and use a separate entrance to the events.

Special to the Times-News

RALEIGH — People who bring firearms to sell at future gun shows at two N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services facilities will have to park in designated areas and use a separate entrance to the events.Authorities proposed these and other safety measures after three people were injured in a shooting accident at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show at the State Fairgrounds in January, the department said in a news release Tuesday.The new precautions will be used at gun shows at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh and the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher.The shows are organized by private promoters who rent buildings for the events, the release says. The promoters rent booth space to licensed gun dealers. In addition to selling guns, some of these dealers also buy firearms from show visitors.The department consulted with law enforcement and show promoters in developing the following safeguards:• Visitors bringing a firearm to sell or trade at a gun show on these properties will be required to park in a separate location. At the WNC Ag Center, the parking area will be inside Gate 5, off Airport Road.• People bringing their guns to sell or trade will be required to use a separate entrance to the show building. Previously, there were separate lines for visitors with guns and those without guns, but the lines were adjacent to each other.•Firearms must not be in a case. The weapon’s action must be open and all magazines, bullets or shells removed when show visitors exit their vehicles. As with past shows, security officers will continue to examine firearms at the show entrance and secure them with straps.The department also intends to place a special emphasis on ensuring that no gun sales occur in parking lots at the two facilities, Joel Keith, the department’s chief of police, said in the release.The new safeguards, which show promoters have endorsed, will be in effect beginning with the Capital City Gun Show at the State Fairgrounds Feb. 23 and 24. The next gun show at the WNC Ag Center is scheduled for March 23 and 24.